Car-coupling



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v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY B. MYER AND HOLLY SKINNER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 225,410, dated March 9,1880.

Application filed December 27, 1879.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, HENRY B. MYER and HOLLYSKINNER, both of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in an Automatic Car-Coupling; and we do hereby declare that the followingis a full, clear,

and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, referencebeing had to-the accompanying drawings, and to letters of referencemarked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Figure 1 is a side elevation, in section, of two railroad cars embodyingour improvement; Fig. 2, an inverted bottom view; Figs. 3 and 4, endviews; Fig. 5, details of the draw-head, and Figs. 6 and 7 detached sections in detail.

The object of this invention is the construction of a simple andefficient device for coupling and uncoupling cars without the necessityof the operator exposing his person to be injured by passing between thecars during the operation of coupling the same.

The coupling device is so arranged as to readily adapt itself to cars ofa variable height, and is intended to be automatic in operation, theexact construction and operation of which will be hereinafter more fullyexplained in detail.

In referring to the drawings, A represents a passenger-car, and A afreight-car, connected together by our improved coupling. a a arearrow-shaped draw-heads, which engage with each other in the mannerillustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings. a a represent the drawbars, towhich the heads a care attached. B represents spiral springs placed uponand coiled around the rear ends of the drawbars in a horizontal plane,and 1) represents spiral springs arranged on the top of and underneaththe draw-bars in a vertical plane, in the manner shown in the drawings.

The bottom of the car is provided with a cavity for the reception of theupper spiral spring, which arrangement permits the drawbar to be forcedup close against the bottom of the car.

chain c, or any other suitable flexible connection which will coil aboutthe draw-bar. When the operation of uncoupling is to be performed it iseasily and conveniently accomplished by moving the operating-leveroutwardly, which movement causes a one-quarter rotation of the draw barand head, and the cars are uncoupled.

The inner end of the rear horizontal spring is recessedinto thedraw-bar, so that when the draw-bar is rotated during the operation ofuncoupling the car the twist given to the spring will exert sufficientpower to throw the draw-bar back into proper position for coupling whenthe operating-lever O is released from its locked position.

We do not strictly confine or limit ourselves to the employment orarrangement of the operating-lever C, as herein shown, but may make useof such other mechanism as will rotate the draw-bar and perform theoperation of uncoupling the cars.

The draw-head is recessed and perforated, adapting the same for thereception of the old style of link-and-pin coupling, should it any timebecome necessary to make use of the old style of coupling.

The vertical springs arranged above and below the draw-bar adapt thecoupling device to be used on cars of any variable height, fromone-sixteenth of an inch to eight inches, as the highest draw-head willyield in an upward direction and the lower draw-head in the oppositedirection when the cars are brought together for the purpose of couplingthe same, the draw-heads becoming interlocked in the manner illustratedin Fig. 1 of the drawings.

D represents a stirrup, which incloses the draw-bar at a point near thefront end of they car, and is for the purpose of preventing alateral orswaying movement of the car or 'cars, thereby imparting a more easy andregu- In an automatic car-coupling, the combination of the followingelements consisting of the draw-bar a and its integral parts, and allsusceptible of a one-quarter rotation, the horizontal spring B, thevertical springs b, the lever O, and the chain 0, when constructed,arranged, and operating in the manner and for the purpose set forth.

HENRY B. MYER. HOLLY SKINNEB.

Witnesses:

L. B. GoUPLAND, H. V. ToBEY.

